Twelve-year MMA veteran Aaron Simpson (12-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) insists when he fights, it truly doesn’t matter to him where the bout falls on the evening’s lineup.

Still, he admits even he was a little surprised when his UFC on FX 5 bout with fellow veteran Mike Pierce (14-5 MMA, 6-3 UFC) was set as the curtain-jerker on the night’s Facebook stream.

“Someone was trying to send a message, I think,” Simpson told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). “I don’t care when I fight, truth be told. I don’t care if it’s at noon or midnight or 3 in the morning. I’ll be ready, and I plan on going out and getting a victory.”

Simpson and Pierce boast nearly 20 UFC fights between them, but their wrestling-based gameplans have led to several decision results. Pierce hasn’t notched a victory via finish in nearly 20 months, and Simpson hasn’t halted an opponent since August 2009.

But Simpson is quick to point out he’s fought just once as a welterweight after nine previous appearances as a 185-pounder. And while that 170-pound debut also went the distance, Simpson believes he’s a different fighter in his new weight class.

“Neither of us has finished our fights in a while,” Simpson admitted. “Maybe it’s a punishment. But I’ve got to go out there and get a win, regardless. Mike Pierce is tough. He’s fought some good guys. He’s lost to some good guys in close decisions. And really, so have I. My loss to Mark Munoz was close. I think my loss to Ronny Markes was close. It was a bigger weight class and guys I couldn’t do a whole lot to when I was giving up 20-25 pounds.

“To me, welterweight benefits me because I can actually do stuff to guys. I can actually look for submissions. I can actually control them. I don’t have to just sit there and try and play a wrestling game and make sure I don’t take a big one from them. I can try to drop them myself. It’s different, and hopefully the UFC realizes that I’m a different fighter at welterweight.”

And he hopes to showcase that difference against Pierce. Whether or not that means he’ll be able to finish it inside of 15 minutes remains to be seen. After all, Pierce’s five career losses all came via decision. If it doesn’t, Simpson doesn’t think that should deserve much criticism. After all, a win is a win.

“You don’t really get mad at a professional football team when they’re grinding out wins running the ball, running the ball, running the ball,” Simpson said. “But they’re winning, and people still show up to see winners.

“I don’t know if [finishing an opponent] matters that much. I understand the business of finishing and all that, but at the same time, I win. I’ve got seven wins in the UFC, and not a lot of guys can say that.”

Still, Simpson believes he has a good chance of changing recent trends. After all, now fighting at a more natural weight, Simpson believes he’ll be able to roll the dice a little more frequently when he doesn’t have to worry about ending up in a bad position against a considerably larger opponent.

“You’ve got to be a risk-taker to finish,” Simpson said. “The thing is the risk was bigger for me at middleweight because if I took that risk and it didn’t happen, now I’m under a big-ass dude.

“Now I’m not in danger if I get taken down. I’m not in danger if I slip off a submission. I’m not in danger if I overdo something because I’m not going to get exhausted, and I’m not going to get in trouble with a guy that had that weight on me.”

So Simpson, at 4-1 in his past five fights, and Pierce, at 5-2 in his past seven appearances, will kick off the action at UFC on FX 5. If the booking is intended to send a message to the fighters, Simpson says he hears it. And he’s hoping to prove both his bosses and his detractors wrong.

“I will be a different fighter at welterweight,” Simpson said. “I honestly feel that way. I’ve got more skills that I can actually use at this lighter weight class.”

UFC on FX 5 takes place Saturday at Target Center in Minneapolis. The evening’s main card airs on FX following prelims on FUEL TV and Facebook.

MMAjunkie.com Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show is hosted by “Gorgeous” George Garcia, MMAjunkie.com lead staff reporter John Morgan and producer Brian “Goze” Garcia. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.

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